Chapter 6: The Dance of the Gods
In the very early dawn, a peacock's cries outside in the Garden brought Yasha to consciousness. That, and the sensation of Ashura slipping silently out of the bed. Without opening his eyes, Yasha slapped his left hand quickly down on a handful of trailing hair and Ashura was brought up short with a grunt.
"Let go, Yasha! I have to make water right now!"
"Put your clothes on first," Yasha murmured, still without opening his eyes. Ashura responded with an exaggerated sigh, but reluctantly pulled the plain linen tunic on. Yasha heard the cloth rustling, then the padding of bare feet on the floor. There was a long hesitation, then a door opened and shut. Yasha smiled. Ashura still regarded the growling water-closet as some sort of domesticated Mazoku.
After a few minutes it occurred to him that he needed to use the Mazoku himself. Forgetting his own robe, he entered the room without knocking to find Ashura silently dancing on the tiled floor, sweeping ribbons of tissue in graceful arcs, then embracing him intimately from behind as he made his own water. When he was finished Yasha turned to his love with a twinkle in his eye. "Well? Did the Mazoku scare everything out of you?"
"Yashaa...!"
"I need my robe, Ashura. Please go get it for me."
"No." Ashura's head shook once, chin high. "Get it yourself. Or take one of those towels. You make me wear clothes while you walk around naked!"
Yasha advanced until he had Ashura trapped between his two arms, laying his palms flat against the wall, nose to nose with his companion and still with that twinkling eye. "I do not like towels. If you do not get me my robe, I will be trapped in here, and the Mazoku will eat me!"
"Kiss me," replied Ashura.
Yasha leaned to kiss the tender lips lightly, just as he had the night before.
"Better than that!" said Ashura, "Or you will get no clothes!"
"Love, if I kiss you any better than that, we will both be trapped in here all morning, and I am sure your brother has other things planned for us!"
A wicked glint was in Ashura's golden eyes. Suddenly the lithe figure ducked out from beneath Yasha's arm, heading for the door. Yasha reached to grasp Ashura's wrist.
"What is all this grabbing, Yasha? You grab, but you will not kiss!"
"I just realized there is something else you need to know. This is important, Ashura. Come here. This is hot water."
Yasha reached to turn on the water, and Ashura jumped in surprise. "Oh!"
"And cold water too, if you turn this handle. Now remember which is which, or you will be burned. It will likely be the same for the bath--" Yasha glanced in the direction of the round, covered tub.
"How do they get hot water in here?"
Yasha leaned close to Ashura conspiratorially. "It is magic," he whispered.
"I don't think so."
Yasha chuckled and released Ashura with a pat to the rump. "Will you please get my robe now?"
"Mmm... I'll think about it." And Ashura vanished out the door.
* * *
An hour later, Yasha was lingering in a hot bath. It was, he admitted to himself, a great luxury that he'd long missed. He leaned back against the tiles, watching the steam rising from the water. His clothes had not materialized; but then, he had heard the outside door open and Ashura talking with the servants. It had taken some effort for him to quell his protective instincts, but he knew he couldn't go on tasting Ashura's food forever, or Ashura would feel insecure here, and he did not want that to happen quite yet. Problems were going to develop soon enough. Yasha could forsee a dozen of them. But Ashura was so full of mischief this morning--! An overflow of joy, Yasha realized, and he had no mind to put a damper on it. Ashura had needed this kind of joy for a lifetime.
Yasha heard the clink of plates and glasses. Breakfast had come, and no doubt Ashura's thoughts of Yasha had been flung aside upon the appearance of food. Yasha did wish his companion would have brought him some of it as he relaxed in the bath, but Ashura would undoubtedly be trying to eat every single thing on the overladen serving-trays.
When the hour was gone and Yasha had climbed from the bath and dried himself with a towel, he decided to venture out regardless of robe. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he opened the door-- and saw the great window he'd assumed to be in a permanent state of openness, veiled with a drape. He sighed and shook his head at Ashura's look. Ashura was seated, sure enough, in the eating area, stuffed and picking at crumbs. Yasha came over. Both plates were empty.
"Ashuraa!"
"You did not come out," Ashura said innocently. "I found out how to close that curtain, Yasha!"
Yasha sat down across from Ashura, reaching for the few fragments of pastries that Ashura simply could not finish. "This is a very rich breakfast, Ashura! Even I could not eat two plates!"
"It was worth the effort," Ashura said, lazing back, arms crossed behind head.
Yasha smiled and sighed, shaking his head. "You have a lot to learn here in Zenmijou," he said, deciding that a little insecurity might be good after all. "I want you to hear me out."
"All right," said Ashura.
"I think everything that has happened since yesterday has taught you some things. Don't you?"
"Yes."
"What has it taught you?"
"I think now I should have been brave enough to face my brother much sooner. I did not know he would forgive me."
"Perhaps, if you had faced him sooner, he would not have forgiven you so easily. Time can be an ally. What else?"
"...I really don't know."
"I do." Yasha finished the crumbs and dusted his hands. "Whether you realize it or not, you have learned how little you really know about the ways of the gods."
Ashura sat up as Yasha continued. "Now you see why I was keeping so close when we came here, Ashura. You know nothing of these people, nothing. They are unlike anyone you have ever known before. You do not even know their food, let alone their customs, likes and dislikes. This is why I need you to stay near me for now, until you learn. And... You are Ashura."
Now the liquid golden eyes were slightly sad. "Yes..."
"Your brother is the Emporer, and he has the greatest heart in Tenkai. He has forgiven you. That does not mean everyone here has forgiven you. Do you understand?"
"Yes. Yasha. I understand."
"Good. One more thing, love. I do not want to say this, but I think it best that you are aware. You are very, very old, Ashura. You are grown, you wish to wed me by formal rite. But your mind is still like a child's in many ways. Try to remember that. Try to think of yourself as a child among your elders, and you will be both safer and happier."
They sat in silence for some minutes, listening to the awakening city. Faint voices; music; the peacocks; the waterfall's endless roar. At last Yasha arose and got his tattered brown robe. He left off his wrist and body bracers, only buckling Yamato's belt around his waist as usual. Ashura, now in a more subdued state, lingered wordlessly around him, gently combing his damp, floor-length obsidian hair. Finally Yasha spoke. "I did not mean to cause you unhappiness, Ashura."
"I know. But everything you say is true. I am so ignorant. And so many people must hate me."
"Your brother will protect us. He is a noble soul, Ashura. I am very impressed with his honesty and intelligence. And he is clever as well. As long as we obey him, we have nothing to fear."
* * *
Shukidevi looked up from her water mirror. '...As long as we obey him, we have nothing to fear.'
Tenou smiled. "Yasha-ou also is a noble soul. Shuki... I know that you dislike Ashura--"
"My lord!"
"Don't deny it. I know that you dislike him, and I know why. But if you can set aside your dislike for a moment-- and set aside your eyes for Yasha- ou!-- We must discuss Ashura."
"Yasha-ou was a great worthy in the old days," she said thoughtfully. "A great general, and a king. Now... What about Ashura?"
"Shuki... Can you live around the both of them?"
Shukidevi sighed. "I hope so. I do want to stay by you."
"I know you do." Tenou shifted uncomfortably. "My loyalties to you and Ashura should be about equal. But dissension will arise as soon as Ashura appears in public, and I don't want to have to defend him against you, of all people."
"I can promise you I will say nothing, my lord."
"And you will do nothing! There will be trouble enough without you interfering."
She bowed to him. He held her gaze for long seconds before letting it go.
* * *
Ashura sighed in pure pleasure at the feel of golden silk, finally draping a long length of it three times round the waist, then up across the back and down one shoulder. Servants had knocked on the door just minutes after Yasha had finished dressing, and had taken them to separate destinations. Ashura had been surprised to find Tenou waiting quietly in a private room.
They sat on the sumptuous floor cushions, facing one another awkwardly. Tenou was now on the same level as Ashura, and his eyes drifted over his sibling's ethereal face. How can we be from the same mother--? But the evidence was there-- echoes of Shashi in the generous mouth, the fine brow.
Ashura looked down at the carpet, glancing up now and then for a split second with a hint of a shy smile. He's embarrassed. Tenou could not help but to continue thinking of Ashura as male-- perhaps a sort of exotic eunuch. "Would you like some new clothes?" Tenou finally asked lightly, breaking the silence. "I like your white tunic. But I have cloth-of-gold that would just match your eyes, and dancing scarves with golden bells that you can wear, if you wish. There is a whole storehouse of clothes just waiting, and you can have any of them you want!"
"Really?" Ashura glanced up again shyly.
Tenou stood and held out a hand. "Come. I'll show you."
Ashura's hand slid into his. It was a slim, soft, lotus-white hand with a tentative, almost shaky grip. Large eyes looked up at him furtively.
He's still afraid I'll reject him! Tenou's mind raced. He could not believe that this was the Ashura who had almost destroyed Tenkai; yet he remembered... he remembered... Tenou smiled suddenly and squeezed Ashura's hand. "It's all right, Ashura. It's all right. Don't be afraid!"
Ashura walked noiselessly beside him, outside the room, down a winding causeway. Ahead of them, servants and nobles alike scurried away at the sight of the Emporer's demon.
"Tenou? Brother?"
"Yes, Ashura?"
"Um... You are very nice to me. I hope you are as nice to Yasha too..." Ashura looked stricken the moment the words were out, but stubbornly refused to retract them. Tenou made sure Ashura saw him smile. "Of course! I am already looking into a nice post for your Yasha."
"A post? A job? Really? Already? How can you know about him so fast?"
"Well, I am the Emporer, of course, and a good Emporer knows a good person when he sees one!"
"Oh." The unspoken question, which Tenou had deliberately led Ashura to unawares, rang loud in the silence. Finally: "Does my brother think I am a good person?"
Tenou halted, caressing Ashura's hand. "Yes!" he said firmly.
Ashura's head was bowed again. "There is Ashura... And there is Black Ashura. But Yasha stops Black Ashura."
"Yasha is the strongest of the old Guardians. He is well suited to stopping Black Ashura, and I believe he can always do it. But... Black Ashura stopped himself, once, long ago." Tenou leaned forward, speaking intently, clasping Ashura's hands. "Black Ashura stopped himself."
Ashura smiled a little, sadly. "Ashura loves Yasha. I used to be afraid to make other friends because they always died. But you are strong, just like Yasha."
"Yes. I'm very strong, Ashura. In fact, they tell me I am stronger than Yasha. Someday soon we will have to have a contest. So don't be afraid! I'm not afraid of you."
Those were, perhaps, the words Ashura had most wanted to hear in the world. The golden eyes brightened; the smile returned more brilliantly. Suddenly Ashura hugged Tenou, and the Emporer caught his half-brother up with a chuckle, spinning them around once before setting Ashura lightly back on the ground. "Friends?" he said.
"Oh, yes, Tenou!"
"Then let's go to the clothing house, and you pick all the clothes you want, and I will tell you how they look!"
So, to Tenou's amusement, Ashura had picked a woman's sari of cloth-of- gold, with a deep burgundy silk choli and underskirt and a scarf with golden coins. The smiling Emporer arranged the folds, pleating and fastening them with jeweled pins as they cascaded like a sunlit waterfall over Ashura's totally featureless chest. As far as Tenou could tell from a furtive glance or two, Ashura was indeed genderless. Yasha's word, and the legends, were true. Tenou, not quite trusting Shuki on this sensitive topic, had wanted to personally confirm the situation to prevent any surprises. One Ashura was bad enough for his inner court to deal with at the moment, and there was no doubt that Yasha and Ashura loved one another very dearly indeed. He did not need Shuki to tell him the details, if there were any, and in fact had specifically forbidden her to use her water mirror to discover the personal secrets of anyone. But the possibility of a baby Ashura would have been very awkward!
With one more lingering fear laid to rest, Tenou went happily on with the outfitting, taking the role of servant as easily as Emporer.
Ashura had a way with the art of draping; somehow the uncut, unhemmed sari fabric looked perfectly finished, as the scarf partially veiled Ashura's beautiful face. Tenou fastened one more pin, then began to add a plethora of golden bangles to his sibling's wrists. They matched Yasha's gift from years before, the amber earring and anklets, almost perfectly.
Tenou had learned that Ashura liked to dance, and a servant was already conveying his orders to the Court musicians. It was a good way to introduce Ashura to the Council, though he more than suspected they knew very well what he had done. He had seen Vivasvan speaking to Shuki, though they did not know it. Silently he wondered how many of his inner circle were going to be gone with "illnesses" tonight, rather than meet the demon who had leveled his father's city.
There was no question Ashura's reception, private though it was, would create problems, serious problems. Though Ashura's and Yasha's arrival had gone unannounced, and the guards who had escorted them were sworn to silence, rumours were already spreading; Tentei Tenou was feeding and dressing his mother's murderer with his own hands... consorting with a demon... He could hear it all, repeated back from Shuki's stammering lips, and his own observations of his subjects. He stepped back. Let them think what they will. There was another wisdom, older than any god present here: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Ashura was both. "There!"
"Tenou...!" said Ashura, standing wide-eyed in front of a large mirror. "This is great for dancing... but if I live in this every day it will be ruined!"
Tenou chuckled. "We will get you more clothes than these!" he said. "Let's go see what else we have!"
The sun was at zenith as they left the storehouses and headed across the Peacock Garden past the two temples gracing the center of it. The grounds were almost deserted, as the people of Zenmijou did not take their lunch until the sun was past the noon. Ashura was laden with two saris, three cholis, two skirts, a pair of men's trousers, a brown robe very similar in cut to Yasha's, a flouncy white shirt, golden sandals, hair chains, and, finally, a hat which did not look good at all, but which Tenou, in all kindness (and humor) said was fine. A beautiful gold and garnet nose ring had been regretfully left behind, as Tenou had refused to pierce noses. Suddenly Ashura seemed to sense something and, with a glance at Tenou for permission, ran ahead, feet seeming to barely touch the ground. Tenou hung back, watching. Ashura rounded a corner and met Yasha face to face.
Even from a distance Tenou thought he heard Ashura's astonished gasp, for Yasha was clad all in black silk, with a red sash about his waist. A black patch covered the scarred and empty socket of his missing right eye. Very tall, he seemed to loom over the garden, but he cast no shadow there. The depths of his good eye sparkled like a clear forest pool as he spied Ashura all in shining cloth-of-gold, the already golden sun casting a shimmer from the fabric and from Ashura's jet black hair.
"Yasha!..." Ashura stood spellbound for a long moment, then trotted lightly to him, pausing just long enough to lay the bundle of clothes down on a nearby bench. Tenou stood silently just behind a flowering tree, listening to Ashura's excited laughter and Yasha's murmured replies. Tenou was on the warrior's blind side-- Yasha did not know he was there, and the Emporer found himself biting his lip as Ashura grabbed Yasha's hand and, with a sly sidelong smile in Tenou's direction, led him onto a green lawn. As Tenou watched, Ashura coaxed Yasha into a very slow and stately dance. It must have been a Yasha-clan dance, Tenou realized, feeling he shouldn't be witnessing this, but unable to take his eyes away. Ashura was showing off Yasha to the Emporer.
The dance was like a quiet courting of two exotic birds. Yasha bowed deeply; Ashura dropped to one knee in a rustling of silk, then was lifted by the waist to a difficult shoulder-height for many long seconds as Yasha turned in a ray of sunlight, muscled arms quivering slightly. The dance was also a test of strength. At last Ashura slid lightly down to earth and slowly circled Yasha three times clockwise, honoring him as a god. Then Yasha took Ashura's hand, holding it lightly above their heads, walking in the same clockwise direction as, turning, they drew ever closer together. Finally seven last steps, as in the Vedic marriage ceremony, until their foreheads touched, and it was no longer a dance but a communion. Their surroundings forgotten, they stood still as statues in the garden. Tenou, deeply moved, found he was holding his breath.
Then the magical moment was obliterated as a group of laughing and chattering women came through with their picnic baskets like a whirlwind, leaving Ashura holding empty air. Tenou nearly doubled over. Yasha had vanished like a shadow, but he'd seen the warrior's scarlet face. Hand over mouth but unable to contain his mirth, Tenou beckoned to Ashura. "That was an excellent dance, Ashura-- but your Yasha is more shy than any maiden!"
Ashura smiled happily. "Oh, he will get over it, and he'll watch my dancing tonight, too! Yasha can never say "no" to Ashura!" The last was said with such egotistical pride that Tenou finally laughed, but kindly. "I doubt if anyone could! Let's go to lunch now, and afterward I'll show you the Great Hall. Then you can go back with Yasha and rest until the sun sets."
* * *
That evening, Ashura danced the Dance of Shiva in the Great Hall of Zenmijou. Two brave musicians with vina and tabla set melody and rhythm, but no other sound could be heard except the jingling of Ashura's ornaments. In all the hall, no one was speaking; all eyes were on the mysterious golden figure, dancing and leaping within a nimbus of its own flames. Ashura's bare feet slid silently over the marble floor; the long arms reached upward to the highest heavens as if in supplication; but the beautiful eyes never left Yasha. Always for Yasha, only for Yasha, Ashura danced the Dance.
Tenou had Yasha by his side. He had been intending to speak with him, but it was impossible to do anything but watch Ashura-- and the rest of his Inner Court. A messenger had come to him earlier with important words from Shuki, but he would address that later. Meanwhile, Garga, Partha and Niroda had not shown up. They were the conservative wing of his personal advisers, and it did not surprise him that all three were missing simultaneously. The point was taken; but if and when the time came, Tenou would make a point of his own. Meanwhile the musicians, according to his vina player, Narada, were actually more frightened than rebellious. They were the same bards, after all, who told and re-told and embellished the frightful old tale of the "Demon of Zenmijou." Narada was a kind and good soul and doubtless protecting his friends while still managing to tell some semblance of the truth. It was only now, despite Kendappa's lesson long ago, that Tenou fully understood the slow, subversive power of music and song, and he wondered why he had ignored the persistence of the work of which Ashura was both protagonist and antagonist. It had been something trivial, he realized, nagging him subconsciously for years, one of those small things that seemingly would be of little interest and now would affect the entire population.
Of the rest of Tenou's intimate circle, many women were in attendance. Tenou found it remarkable that they were more interested in Ashura than their husbands or co-wives... and apparently more fearless. He was noting other faces present and missing, and thoughtfully tallying it at about seventy-five percent the usual attendance, when at last Ashura began to tire and the Dance came to its end. Most of the onlookers did not stint in their applause.
Ashura ran to Yasha and Tenou, panting and excited. "Did you like it?"
Yasha smiled. "I always like your dancing... but tonight you were even better than usual!"
"It's these clothes and things Tenou gave me, and the music. Brother, did you like it?"
"Ashura, you were born to dance! I loved it! Please dance for us again another night!"
Ashura flushed faintly pink at the compliment of the Emporer, and remembered to bow. "I will! Brother Tenou has only to ask!"
"And I will! Now, I am going to have you escorted to your room while I speak with my Court." He beckoned to Narada, who laid down his vina and approached Ashura without fear but with much curiosity. As Narada began to ask questions-- where Ashura had learned the Dance, what music it was originally played to-- Tenou leaned close to Yasha and whispered: "My miko tells me Seiryuu of the Ryuu clan has learned you are here and is already planning an uprising. Take care."
* * *
Yasha checked their quarters thoroughly that night before they went to bed. He unsheathed Yamato and lay it just behind the cushions above their heads, where its light would be dimmed.
"Ashura. I know you heard what Tenou said to me."
"Seiryuu was Ryuu's cousin."
"Yes."
Ashura turned to him. "I need to find him. I need to tell him--"
"--No! Ashura!" Yasha's arms wrapped tightly around the slender form. "Seiryuu is an assassin now, and he intends to kill you."
"If he does, Tenou will have to punish the Ryuu clan for my crime! Yasha-- "
"I know. We must trust Tenou. Trust now! Do not weep! Do not let the past haunt you!"
"I'm sorry..."
"Forget your troubles. We will make your dreams very sweet tonight." Yasha kissed those tender lips that he had been longing for days to taste fully again, then parted them gently with his tongue, slipping between the pearly teeth to stroke the sensitive roof of that delectable mouth. Ashura responded instantly with a deep moan, wrapping both shuddering white arms around him.
* * *
Shuki had not been present at Ashura's introduction to the Court. The Emporer had stationed her at her water-mirror, and her visions had revealed the plans of Seiryuu. She had thought it best to send a messenger.
Now she was scanning other potential problems. Garga, Niroda and Partha were not ignorant of her capabilities and she did not expect to find them up to anything. She didn't-- at least not Garga and Niroda, each of them alone in his room, the first eating, the second looking thoughtful. Partha, on the other hand, was making furious love to his wife. She chuckled at his method of venting political frustration. The old goat was five thousand years young.
Her unguarded thoughts strayed at the sight and for a moment the mirror reflected what was in her heart. Yasha, lying on his back, gloriously nude, long hair cascading like black streams, eye bright with equal parts love and lust as-- Shuki shook her head and waved away the vision in disgust. Ashura. Ashura was always there. Useless demon, pathetic creature that never should have been, wasting the precious seed of the last of the Yamas' noble line!
"Shuki!" It was Tenou. She started so violently she knocked a brass incense burner to the floor. It clattered like her heart.
The Emporer strode to her, a fond smile on his face and annoyance in his voice. "Your face is as red as my robe. I wonder what could cause such a thing..." He bent to pick up the fallen burner, and shook the ash out the nearby window. "Well? When he is undressed, do you still like what you see?"
"Tentei!!"
"Don't lie to me, Shuki. I know that useful things can, on occaision, be garnered from such spying, but this was not necessary."
She had no place to hide her face. "Yes, my lord."
He held her under his gaze until she began to squirm. Then he said: "You may go. Get a good sleep, my dear-- if you can! I will need you to track Seiryuu and his henchmen soon enough." Unable to resist, he called after her as she vanished through the door. "If you need any help sleeping, why don't you call on Kama? He is a good courtesan... and he even has long black hair!"
He shook his head as he heard her feet scurrying down the corridor. As he went to his own quarters and prepared for bed, his mind was filled with thoughts, planning for the morrow.
In the very early dawn, a peacock's cries outside in the Garden brought Yasha to consciousness. That, and the sensation of Ashura slipping silently out of the bed. Without opening his eyes, Yasha slapped his left hand quickly down on a handful of trailing hair and Ashura was brought up short with a grunt.
"Let go, Yasha! I have to make water right now!"
"Put your clothes on first," Yasha murmured, still without opening his eyes. Ashura responded with an exaggerated sigh, but reluctantly pulled the plain linen tunic on. Yasha heard the cloth rustling, then the padding of bare feet on the floor. There was a long hesitation, then a door opened and shut. Yasha smiled. Ashura still regarded the growling water-closet as some sort of domesticated Mazoku.
After a few minutes it occurred to him that he needed to use the Mazoku himself. Forgetting his own robe, he entered the room without knocking to find Ashura silently dancing on the tiled floor, sweeping ribbons of tissue in graceful arcs, then embracing him intimately from behind as he made his own water. When he was finished Yasha turned to his love with a twinkle in his eye. "Well? Did the Mazoku scare everything out of you?"
"Yashaa...!"
"I need my robe, Ashura. Please go get it for me."
"No." Ashura's head shook once, chin high. "Get it yourself. Or take one of those towels. You make me wear clothes while you walk around naked!"
Yasha advanced until he had Ashura trapped between his two arms, laying his palms flat against the wall, nose to nose with his companion and still with that twinkling eye. "I do not like towels. If you do not get me my robe, I will be trapped in here, and the Mazoku will eat me!"
"Kiss me," replied Ashura.
Yasha leaned to kiss the tender lips lightly, just as he had the night before.
"Better than that!" said Ashura, "Or you will get no clothes!"
"Love, if I kiss you any better than that, we will both be trapped in here all morning, and I am sure your brother has other things planned for us!"
A wicked glint was in Ashura's golden eyes. Suddenly the lithe figure ducked out from beneath Yasha's arm, heading for the door. Yasha reached to grasp Ashura's wrist.
"What is all this grabbing, Yasha? You grab, but you will not kiss!"
"I just realized there is something else you need to know. This is important, Ashura. Come here. This is hot water."
Yasha reached to turn on the water, and Ashura jumped in surprise. "Oh!"
"And cold water too, if you turn this handle. Now remember which is which, or you will be burned. It will likely be the same for the bath--" Yasha glanced in the direction of the round, covered tub.
"How do they get hot water in here?"
Yasha leaned close to Ashura conspiratorially. "It is magic," he whispered.
"I don't think so."
Yasha chuckled and released Ashura with a pat to the rump. "Will you please get my robe now?"
"Mmm... I'll think about it." And Ashura vanished out the door.
* * *
An hour later, Yasha was lingering in a hot bath. It was, he admitted to himself, a great luxury that he'd long missed. He leaned back against the tiles, watching the steam rising from the water. His clothes had not materialized; but then, he had heard the outside door open and Ashura talking with the servants. It had taken some effort for him to quell his protective instincts, but he knew he couldn't go on tasting Ashura's food forever, or Ashura would feel insecure here, and he did not want that to happen quite yet. Problems were going to develop soon enough. Yasha could forsee a dozen of them. But Ashura was so full of mischief this morning--! An overflow of joy, Yasha realized, and he had no mind to put a damper on it. Ashura had needed this kind of joy for a lifetime.
Yasha heard the clink of plates and glasses. Breakfast had come, and no doubt Ashura's thoughts of Yasha had been flung aside upon the appearance of food. Yasha did wish his companion would have brought him some of it as he relaxed in the bath, but Ashura would undoubtedly be trying to eat every single thing on the overladen serving-trays.
When the hour was gone and Yasha had climbed from the bath and dried himself with a towel, he decided to venture out regardless of robe. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he opened the door-- and saw the great window he'd assumed to be in a permanent state of openness, veiled with a drape. He sighed and shook his head at Ashura's look. Ashura was seated, sure enough, in the eating area, stuffed and picking at crumbs. Yasha came over. Both plates were empty.
"Ashuraa!"
"You did not come out," Ashura said innocently. "I found out how to close that curtain, Yasha!"
Yasha sat down across from Ashura, reaching for the few fragments of pastries that Ashura simply could not finish. "This is a very rich breakfast, Ashura! Even I could not eat two plates!"
"It was worth the effort," Ashura said, lazing back, arms crossed behind head.
Yasha smiled and sighed, shaking his head. "You have a lot to learn here in Zenmijou," he said, deciding that a little insecurity might be good after all. "I want you to hear me out."
"All right," said Ashura.
"I think everything that has happened since yesterday has taught you some things. Don't you?"
"Yes."
"What has it taught you?"
"I think now I should have been brave enough to face my brother much sooner. I did not know he would forgive me."
"Perhaps, if you had faced him sooner, he would not have forgiven you so easily. Time can be an ally. What else?"
"...I really don't know."
"I do." Yasha finished the crumbs and dusted his hands. "Whether you realize it or not, you have learned how little you really know about the ways of the gods."
Ashura sat up as Yasha continued. "Now you see why I was keeping so close when we came here, Ashura. You know nothing of these people, nothing. They are unlike anyone you have ever known before. You do not even know their food, let alone their customs, likes and dislikes. This is why I need you to stay near me for now, until you learn. And... You are Ashura."
Now the liquid golden eyes were slightly sad. "Yes..."
"Your brother is the Emporer, and he has the greatest heart in Tenkai. He has forgiven you. That does not mean everyone here has forgiven you. Do you understand?"
"Yes. Yasha. I understand."
"Good. One more thing, love. I do not want to say this, but I think it best that you are aware. You are very, very old, Ashura. You are grown, you wish to wed me by formal rite. But your mind is still like a child's in many ways. Try to remember that. Try to think of yourself as a child among your elders, and you will be both safer and happier."
They sat in silence for some minutes, listening to the awakening city. Faint voices; music; the peacocks; the waterfall's endless roar. At last Yasha arose and got his tattered brown robe. He left off his wrist and body bracers, only buckling Yamato's belt around his waist as usual. Ashura, now in a more subdued state, lingered wordlessly around him, gently combing his damp, floor-length obsidian hair. Finally Yasha spoke. "I did not mean to cause you unhappiness, Ashura."
"I know. But everything you say is true. I am so ignorant. And so many people must hate me."
"Your brother will protect us. He is a noble soul, Ashura. I am very impressed with his honesty and intelligence. And he is clever as well. As long as we obey him, we have nothing to fear."
* * *
Shukidevi looked up from her water mirror. '...As long as we obey him, we have nothing to fear.'
Tenou smiled. "Yasha-ou also is a noble soul. Shuki... I know that you dislike Ashura--"
"My lord!"
"Don't deny it. I know that you dislike him, and I know why. But if you can set aside your dislike for a moment-- and set aside your eyes for Yasha- ou!-- We must discuss Ashura."
"Yasha-ou was a great worthy in the old days," she said thoughtfully. "A great general, and a king. Now... What about Ashura?"
"Shuki... Can you live around the both of them?"
Shukidevi sighed. "I hope so. I do want to stay by you."
"I know you do." Tenou shifted uncomfortably. "My loyalties to you and Ashura should be about equal. But dissension will arise as soon as Ashura appears in public, and I don't want to have to defend him against you, of all people."
"I can promise you I will say nothing, my lord."
"And you will do nothing! There will be trouble enough without you interfering."
She bowed to him. He held her gaze for long seconds before letting it go.
* * *
Ashura sighed in pure pleasure at the feel of golden silk, finally draping a long length of it three times round the waist, then up across the back and down one shoulder. Servants had knocked on the door just minutes after Yasha had finished dressing, and had taken them to separate destinations. Ashura had been surprised to find Tenou waiting quietly in a private room.
They sat on the sumptuous floor cushions, facing one another awkwardly. Tenou was now on the same level as Ashura, and his eyes drifted over his sibling's ethereal face. How can we be from the same mother--? But the evidence was there-- echoes of Shashi in the generous mouth, the fine brow.
Ashura looked down at the carpet, glancing up now and then for a split second with a hint of a shy smile. He's embarrassed. Tenou could not help but to continue thinking of Ashura as male-- perhaps a sort of exotic eunuch. "Would you like some new clothes?" Tenou finally asked lightly, breaking the silence. "I like your white tunic. But I have cloth-of-gold that would just match your eyes, and dancing scarves with golden bells that you can wear, if you wish. There is a whole storehouse of clothes just waiting, and you can have any of them you want!"
"Really?" Ashura glanced up again shyly.
Tenou stood and held out a hand. "Come. I'll show you."
Ashura's hand slid into his. It was a slim, soft, lotus-white hand with a tentative, almost shaky grip. Large eyes looked up at him furtively.
He's still afraid I'll reject him! Tenou's mind raced. He could not believe that this was the Ashura who had almost destroyed Tenkai; yet he remembered... he remembered... Tenou smiled suddenly and squeezed Ashura's hand. "It's all right, Ashura. It's all right. Don't be afraid!"
Ashura walked noiselessly beside him, outside the room, down a winding causeway. Ahead of them, servants and nobles alike scurried away at the sight of the Emporer's demon.
"Tenou? Brother?"
"Yes, Ashura?"
"Um... You are very nice to me. I hope you are as nice to Yasha too..." Ashura looked stricken the moment the words were out, but stubbornly refused to retract them. Tenou made sure Ashura saw him smile. "Of course! I am already looking into a nice post for your Yasha."
"A post? A job? Really? Already? How can you know about him so fast?"
"Well, I am the Emporer, of course, and a good Emporer knows a good person when he sees one!"
"Oh." The unspoken question, which Tenou had deliberately led Ashura to unawares, rang loud in the silence. Finally: "Does my brother think I am a good person?"
Tenou halted, caressing Ashura's hand. "Yes!" he said firmly.
Ashura's head was bowed again. "There is Ashura... And there is Black Ashura. But Yasha stops Black Ashura."
"Yasha is the strongest of the old Guardians. He is well suited to stopping Black Ashura, and I believe he can always do it. But... Black Ashura stopped himself, once, long ago." Tenou leaned forward, speaking intently, clasping Ashura's hands. "Black Ashura stopped himself."
Ashura smiled a little, sadly. "Ashura loves Yasha. I used to be afraid to make other friends because they always died. But you are strong, just like Yasha."
"Yes. I'm very strong, Ashura. In fact, they tell me I am stronger than Yasha. Someday soon we will have to have a contest. So don't be afraid! I'm not afraid of you."
Those were, perhaps, the words Ashura had most wanted to hear in the world. The golden eyes brightened; the smile returned more brilliantly. Suddenly Ashura hugged Tenou, and the Emporer caught his half-brother up with a chuckle, spinning them around once before setting Ashura lightly back on the ground. "Friends?" he said.
"Oh, yes, Tenou!"
"Then let's go to the clothing house, and you pick all the clothes you want, and I will tell you how they look!"
So, to Tenou's amusement, Ashura had picked a woman's sari of cloth-of- gold, with a deep burgundy silk choli and underskirt and a scarf with golden coins. The smiling Emporer arranged the folds, pleating and fastening them with jeweled pins as they cascaded like a sunlit waterfall over Ashura's totally featureless chest. As far as Tenou could tell from a furtive glance or two, Ashura was indeed genderless. Yasha's word, and the legends, were true. Tenou, not quite trusting Shuki on this sensitive topic, had wanted to personally confirm the situation to prevent any surprises. One Ashura was bad enough for his inner court to deal with at the moment, and there was no doubt that Yasha and Ashura loved one another very dearly indeed. He did not need Shuki to tell him the details, if there were any, and in fact had specifically forbidden her to use her water mirror to discover the personal secrets of anyone. But the possibility of a baby Ashura would have been very awkward!
With one more lingering fear laid to rest, Tenou went happily on with the outfitting, taking the role of servant as easily as Emporer.
Ashura had a way with the art of draping; somehow the uncut, unhemmed sari fabric looked perfectly finished, as the scarf partially veiled Ashura's beautiful face. Tenou fastened one more pin, then began to add a plethora of golden bangles to his sibling's wrists. They matched Yasha's gift from years before, the amber earring and anklets, almost perfectly.
Tenou had learned that Ashura liked to dance, and a servant was already conveying his orders to the Court musicians. It was a good way to introduce Ashura to the Council, though he more than suspected they knew very well what he had done. He had seen Vivasvan speaking to Shuki, though they did not know it. Silently he wondered how many of his inner circle were going to be gone with "illnesses" tonight, rather than meet the demon who had leveled his father's city.
There was no question Ashura's reception, private though it was, would create problems, serious problems. Though Ashura's and Yasha's arrival had gone unannounced, and the guards who had escorted them were sworn to silence, rumours were already spreading; Tentei Tenou was feeding and dressing his mother's murderer with his own hands... consorting with a demon... He could hear it all, repeated back from Shuki's stammering lips, and his own observations of his subjects. He stepped back. Let them think what they will. There was another wisdom, older than any god present here: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Ashura was both. "There!"
"Tenou...!" said Ashura, standing wide-eyed in front of a large mirror. "This is great for dancing... but if I live in this every day it will be ruined!"
Tenou chuckled. "We will get you more clothes than these!" he said. "Let's go see what else we have!"
The sun was at zenith as they left the storehouses and headed across the Peacock Garden past the two temples gracing the center of it. The grounds were almost deserted, as the people of Zenmijou did not take their lunch until the sun was past the noon. Ashura was laden with two saris, three cholis, two skirts, a pair of men's trousers, a brown robe very similar in cut to Yasha's, a flouncy white shirt, golden sandals, hair chains, and, finally, a hat which did not look good at all, but which Tenou, in all kindness (and humor) said was fine. A beautiful gold and garnet nose ring had been regretfully left behind, as Tenou had refused to pierce noses. Suddenly Ashura seemed to sense something and, with a glance at Tenou for permission, ran ahead, feet seeming to barely touch the ground. Tenou hung back, watching. Ashura rounded a corner and met Yasha face to face.
Even from a distance Tenou thought he heard Ashura's astonished gasp, for Yasha was clad all in black silk, with a red sash about his waist. A black patch covered the scarred and empty socket of his missing right eye. Very tall, he seemed to loom over the garden, but he cast no shadow there. The depths of his good eye sparkled like a clear forest pool as he spied Ashura all in shining cloth-of-gold, the already golden sun casting a shimmer from the fabric and from Ashura's jet black hair.
"Yasha!..." Ashura stood spellbound for a long moment, then trotted lightly to him, pausing just long enough to lay the bundle of clothes down on a nearby bench. Tenou stood silently just behind a flowering tree, listening to Ashura's excited laughter and Yasha's murmured replies. Tenou was on the warrior's blind side-- Yasha did not know he was there, and the Emporer found himself biting his lip as Ashura grabbed Yasha's hand and, with a sly sidelong smile in Tenou's direction, led him onto a green lawn. As Tenou watched, Ashura coaxed Yasha into a very slow and stately dance. It must have been a Yasha-clan dance, Tenou realized, feeling he shouldn't be witnessing this, but unable to take his eyes away. Ashura was showing off Yasha to the Emporer.
The dance was like a quiet courting of two exotic birds. Yasha bowed deeply; Ashura dropped to one knee in a rustling of silk, then was lifted by the waist to a difficult shoulder-height for many long seconds as Yasha turned in a ray of sunlight, muscled arms quivering slightly. The dance was also a test of strength. At last Ashura slid lightly down to earth and slowly circled Yasha three times clockwise, honoring him as a god. Then Yasha took Ashura's hand, holding it lightly above their heads, walking in the same clockwise direction as, turning, they drew ever closer together. Finally seven last steps, as in the Vedic marriage ceremony, until their foreheads touched, and it was no longer a dance but a communion. Their surroundings forgotten, they stood still as statues in the garden. Tenou, deeply moved, found he was holding his breath.
Then the magical moment was obliterated as a group of laughing and chattering women came through with their picnic baskets like a whirlwind, leaving Ashura holding empty air. Tenou nearly doubled over. Yasha had vanished like a shadow, but he'd seen the warrior's scarlet face. Hand over mouth but unable to contain his mirth, Tenou beckoned to Ashura. "That was an excellent dance, Ashura-- but your Yasha is more shy than any maiden!"
Ashura smiled happily. "Oh, he will get over it, and he'll watch my dancing tonight, too! Yasha can never say "no" to Ashura!" The last was said with such egotistical pride that Tenou finally laughed, but kindly. "I doubt if anyone could! Let's go to lunch now, and afterward I'll show you the Great Hall. Then you can go back with Yasha and rest until the sun sets."
* * *
That evening, Ashura danced the Dance of Shiva in the Great Hall of Zenmijou. Two brave musicians with vina and tabla set melody and rhythm, but no other sound could be heard except the jingling of Ashura's ornaments. In all the hall, no one was speaking; all eyes were on the mysterious golden figure, dancing and leaping within a nimbus of its own flames. Ashura's bare feet slid silently over the marble floor; the long arms reached upward to the highest heavens as if in supplication; but the beautiful eyes never left Yasha. Always for Yasha, only for Yasha, Ashura danced the Dance.
Tenou had Yasha by his side. He had been intending to speak with him, but it was impossible to do anything but watch Ashura-- and the rest of his Inner Court. A messenger had come to him earlier with important words from Shuki, but he would address that later. Meanwhile, Garga, Partha and Niroda had not shown up. They were the conservative wing of his personal advisers, and it did not surprise him that all three were missing simultaneously. The point was taken; but if and when the time came, Tenou would make a point of his own. Meanwhile the musicians, according to his vina player, Narada, were actually more frightened than rebellious. They were the same bards, after all, who told and re-told and embellished the frightful old tale of the "Demon of Zenmijou." Narada was a kind and good soul and doubtless protecting his friends while still managing to tell some semblance of the truth. It was only now, despite Kendappa's lesson long ago, that Tenou fully understood the slow, subversive power of music and song, and he wondered why he had ignored the persistence of the work of which Ashura was both protagonist and antagonist. It had been something trivial, he realized, nagging him subconsciously for years, one of those small things that seemingly would be of little interest and now would affect the entire population.
Of the rest of Tenou's intimate circle, many women were in attendance. Tenou found it remarkable that they were more interested in Ashura than their husbands or co-wives... and apparently more fearless. He was noting other faces present and missing, and thoughtfully tallying it at about seventy-five percent the usual attendance, when at last Ashura began to tire and the Dance came to its end. Most of the onlookers did not stint in their applause.
Ashura ran to Yasha and Tenou, panting and excited. "Did you like it?"
Yasha smiled. "I always like your dancing... but tonight you were even better than usual!"
"It's these clothes and things Tenou gave me, and the music. Brother, did you like it?"
"Ashura, you were born to dance! I loved it! Please dance for us again another night!"
Ashura flushed faintly pink at the compliment of the Emporer, and remembered to bow. "I will! Brother Tenou has only to ask!"
"And I will! Now, I am going to have you escorted to your room while I speak with my Court." He beckoned to Narada, who laid down his vina and approached Ashura without fear but with much curiosity. As Narada began to ask questions-- where Ashura had learned the Dance, what music it was originally played to-- Tenou leaned close to Yasha and whispered: "My miko tells me Seiryuu of the Ryuu clan has learned you are here and is already planning an uprising. Take care."
* * *
Yasha checked their quarters thoroughly that night before they went to bed. He unsheathed Yamato and lay it just behind the cushions above their heads, where its light would be dimmed.
"Ashura. I know you heard what Tenou said to me."
"Seiryuu was Ryuu's cousin."
"Yes."
Ashura turned to him. "I need to find him. I need to tell him--"
"--No! Ashura!" Yasha's arms wrapped tightly around the slender form. "Seiryuu is an assassin now, and he intends to kill you."
"If he does, Tenou will have to punish the Ryuu clan for my crime! Yasha-- "
"I know. We must trust Tenou. Trust now! Do not weep! Do not let the past haunt you!"
"I'm sorry..."
"Forget your troubles. We will make your dreams very sweet tonight." Yasha kissed those tender lips that he had been longing for days to taste fully again, then parted them gently with his tongue, slipping between the pearly teeth to stroke the sensitive roof of that delectable mouth. Ashura responded instantly with a deep moan, wrapping both shuddering white arms around him.
* * *
Shuki had not been present at Ashura's introduction to the Court. The Emporer had stationed her at her water-mirror, and her visions had revealed the plans of Seiryuu. She had thought it best to send a messenger.
Now she was scanning other potential problems. Garga, Niroda and Partha were not ignorant of her capabilities and she did not expect to find them up to anything. She didn't-- at least not Garga and Niroda, each of them alone in his room, the first eating, the second looking thoughtful. Partha, on the other hand, was making furious love to his wife. She chuckled at his method of venting political frustration. The old goat was five thousand years young.
Her unguarded thoughts strayed at the sight and for a moment the mirror reflected what was in her heart. Yasha, lying on his back, gloriously nude, long hair cascading like black streams, eye bright with equal parts love and lust as-- Shuki shook her head and waved away the vision in disgust. Ashura. Ashura was always there. Useless demon, pathetic creature that never should have been, wasting the precious seed of the last of the Yamas' noble line!
"Shuki!" It was Tenou. She started so violently she knocked a brass incense burner to the floor. It clattered like her heart.
The Emporer strode to her, a fond smile on his face and annoyance in his voice. "Your face is as red as my robe. I wonder what could cause such a thing..." He bent to pick up the fallen burner, and shook the ash out the nearby window. "Well? When he is undressed, do you still like what you see?"
"Tentei!!"
"Don't lie to me, Shuki. I know that useful things can, on occaision, be garnered from such spying, but this was not necessary."
She had no place to hide her face. "Yes, my lord."
He held her under his gaze until she began to squirm. Then he said: "You may go. Get a good sleep, my dear-- if you can! I will need you to track Seiryuu and his henchmen soon enough." Unable to resist, he called after her as she vanished through the door. "If you need any help sleeping, why don't you call on Kama? He is a good courtesan... and he even has long black hair!"
He shook his head as he heard her feet scurrying down the corridor. As he went to his own quarters and prepared for bed, his mind was filled with thoughts, planning for the morrow.